Rufus: The Bat Who Loved Colors

“Born in Strasbourg, in the Alsace region of France, in 1931, Tomi Ungerer started drawing as a small boy. He published his first book for children, The Mellops Go Flying, in 1957, and went on to publish 80 books over the next ten years, covering all aspects of his work. Phaidon has published many of his classics such as The Three Robbers, Moon Man, and Adelaide as well as new books for children such as Otto and the upcoming re-release of The Beast of Monsieur Racine, a star‐reviewed book in Kirkus 1963. In 2003 the European Council chose Tomi Ungerer as their first Ambassador for Childhood and Education and in 2007 the Tomi Ungerer Museum in Strasbourg opened its doors to the public and has since been voted one of the 10 best museums in Europe by the European Council. A contemporary of Maurice Sendak, Ungerer was recently featured in a documentary, Far Out Isn’t Far Enough, a New York Times Critics’ Pick.